Two-Wheel Two-Step: September, 2013

October 18, 2013

By Shine

I hope everyone is fully immersed in the height of the Texas riding season and learning how to access those weather apps to combat our bizarre atmospheric conditions—raging heat in the triple digits followed by relentless thunderstorms, vice versa, repeat. But hey, that’s Texas and it’s still the best. I’ll start with an item that falls in the “when we do right, no one remembers, when we do wrong, no one forgets” file. In last month’s column I reported that the son of “Big Greg” Hale had an accident during the Iron Cylinders Ride. First mistake was that I said his name was Jeff. It’s Jake; my apologizes. Second mistake was that the crash happened the day before the ride, on Saturday. Although I would love to fall on my sword concerning this matter, I have someone else willing to admit the erroneous reporting—my South Editor, Robert Filla. Yes, this wrong info was supplied by my boss. These errors were brought to my attention by two readers, Buddy Johnson and Sarah Lovelady (hope I got that right). “I love the Iron Cylinders Ride, have participated in it and no intentional harm was ever meant by implying the ride was not safe,” stated Robert. As for me, I’m just delighted to know there are at least two people who read this darn thing… On another “crashing” note, I recently talked with Lara Martinez who had a bad spill on Mother’s Day. Seems she was riding on the back of her ol’ man’s bike, Johnny Gil, and approaching a red light. When the traffic fixture suddenly turned green, Johnny (a renowned bike builder that has been featured in national publications and is a consistent winner in bike shows across the country) nailed it and dumped Lara. She went down pretty hard and while she was mainly concerned with her left leg, the doctors focused on her head injury. After receiving a batch of stitches in her skull, she went home where she continued to complain about her leg. After a month of nonstop pain, she went to a specialist who pinpointed the problem—her leg was broken. So after a receiving proper cast and a set of crutches, she’s slowly on the mend and getting better. We wish her well. Johnny’s only comment was, “At least it’s not the leg you need to kick your Panhead over with.” Typical Texan male… Residents of San Benito joined local bikers on August 2 as Mad Boar Harley-Davidson held their annual Bikers Have Heart blood drive. For the last seven years Mad Boar and its sister dealership, Desperado H-D in McAllen, have heeded the call to restock the Rio Grande Valley’s blood supply by asking bikers to roll up their sleeves for the United Blood Services. While approximately 40 percent of the needed blood is normally secured from area high school students, when school is out for the summer those missing pints of the red stuff have to come from other sources. Here’s to many more years of this most successful endeavor… August 4 saw another edition of the Run to the Rock. Not actually an organized ride, but rather a gathering place for riders after their Sunday excursions—a spot to sit, unwind and retell stories of the day’s adventures. Meeting at Bronson Rock in Old Town Keller, the evening meeting included live music and some great door prizes from Tucker Rocky and A Bikers Garage, along with a motorcycle rentals provided by 2 Wheels in Motion. Sponsored by A Bikers Garage (in Roanoke) and Keith Bland Insurance, the Run to the Rock is a monthly affair. More info can be obtained by calling 817.491.5200 and asking for either Bob, Trenton or Red… Republic Harley-Davidson in Stafford wanted to remind everyone about the shop’s Thurd Thursday Bike Night. Held on the shop’s showroom floor 12 times a year, everything kicks off around 6:00 p.m. The shop is also happy to announce that their weekly radio show, Feel the Thunder, is back on the air. Broadcast live every Saturday afternoon from 3:00–4:00 p.m. from the dealership, hosts Slojak and Sparkle welcome your participation, either in person or via call-in at 281.558.5738 or 1.888.839.2717 toll free… I wanted to give mention to two events that are right around the corner. On September 8 is the first-ever Great Armadillo Hunt & Click. It’s a photo scavenger hunt in and around Amarillo where riders amass points for their digital photographs. It’s followed by an after-party. Log onto www.marthashome.org for details and registration… And on September 20–22, The Rumble on the River returns to Bandera with a bike show, contests, vendors and concerts. Go to www.bikerralliesoftexas.com for all the info. So until next month, ride safe, drink plenty of water and take time out of that hot ride for a dip in some of the great swimming holes across the state. But hurry—with this heat the water levels are dropping fast.